Toy pianos



March 18, 1958 H. ZIMMERMAN TOY PIANOS Filed April 6. 1955 IN VEN TOR:Z'wvmumom United States Patent TOY PIANOS Harry Zimmerman, New York, N.Y.

Application April 6, 1955, Serial No. 499,701

9 Claims. (Cl. 84-404) My invention relates to musical toys providedwith a series of differently tuned tone elements on which variousmelodies can be played by striking these elements successively andselectively.

Objects of my invention are to strike the tone elements with missilespropelled by a projector, thereby to produce clean tones which are notimpaired by activating means, to provide an individual missile and anindividual projector for each tone element, thereby to make possible theselective and alternate use of the tone elements, and thereby to makepossible to play various melodies in a novel and amusing manner.

Other objects are to return the missiles to the projectorsautomatically, to provide channels or runways for guiding the missilestoward the tone elements and back to the projectors, and to shape themissiles so that they roll easily in these channels.

Further objects are to simulate a piano, to operate the projectors bythe keys of a piano-like key board, to provide the toy with a piano-likeshaped housing, to arrange the tone elements in the higher back portionof this housing and to arrange the keys near the front of this housing.

Still other objects are to use vertically extending bars as toneelements, thereby to facilitate their arrangement in the higher backportion of a piano-like housing, to suspend these tone bars pendulouslywhereby they will produce clean vibrations and tones under the impact ofthe missiles, and to prevent excessive pendulous movement of these bars.

Still further objects are to attain these objects with simple, reliableand inexpensive means, and to provide a novel musical toy that can beeasily made, assembled and operated.

Still other objects and advantages will appear from the followingdescription of an exemplifying embodiment of my invention, from theappended claims and from the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of an illustrative em bodiment of myinvention.

Fig. 2 shows a vertical cross-section taken along the line 22 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 shows a broken off cross-section taken along the line 33 in Fig.2.

Fig. 4 shows a broken off cross-section taken along the broken line 44in Fig. 2.

The shown embodiment has a housing 5 of an outer shape simulating apiano, and comprises a higher back portion 6 and a lower front portion 7which has a top 8 sloping toward the front and side walls 9 risinghigher than the top 8. A plurality of channels or runways 11 arepositioned under the top 8 and extend parallel to this top into the backportion 6 of the housing. These channels may have rectangularcross-sections and walls forming integral parts of the housing.

A shaft or axle 12 extends near the front of the housing from one sidewall 9 horizontally to the other. Le-

vers 13 have bores for the passage of the axle 12. Each lever isindividually turnable about this axle by means of a key 14 formed withthe lever as one piece. The keys 14 are shaped and arranged over the top8 and between the side walls 9 like the keys of a piano key board.

The levers 13 reach through slots of the top 8 into the channels 11 andform projectors for ball-shaped missiles 15 positioned movably in thesechannels. One ball 15 and one projector 13 is provided for each channel.The rear or higher end of the channels are open. Tone elements, one ofwhich is indicated by numeral 16, extend at a small distance behindthese channel ends. The channels 11 are long, and the distance of eachprojector 13 from the co-ordinated tone element is many times as long asthe propelling movement of the projector and as the diameter of thepropelled ball so that latter makes a move of considerable lengthbetween projector and tone element. The tone elements may be, forexample, elongated bars extending vertically and having arc-shapedhorizontal cross-sections. These tone bars are preferably suspended inthe following manner:

A wall or plate 17 is afiixed to the housing 5 and extends behind thebars 16 across the housing portion 6. Projections 18 extend from thewall 17 between and aside of the bars to the front. The front of theprojections 18 is slotted, and a cord 19 is wedged into these slots. Thecord has knots 21 at its ends and is held by those projections 18 whichare adjacent to the knots 21 in tense condition. Each tone bar has ahook 22 stamped and bent out of its material. The hooks 22 engage thecord 19.

The projections 18 serve also to hold the tone bars in spaced positionsalong the cord 1). Excessive pendulous movement of these bars isprevented by strips 23, 24 and 25 which are made of felt or other softcushion ing material and extend at short distances from and across thetone bars. The strip 23 is afiixed to a rigid strip 26 which has endsaflixed to the side walls of the housing 5. If the tone bars havedifferent lengths which is a preferred way of tuning the samedifferently, the strips 23 and 26 may extend obliquely according to thepositions of the lower ends of the tone bars. The strip 24 is preferablypositioned opposite to the strip 23 behind the tone bars and is aflixedto the lower rim of the wall 17 which may extend in correspondingoblique direction. The strip 25 is also allixed to the wall 17 andextends behind the tone bars near the projections 18.

The musical toy operates as follows:

Any desired melody or sequence of tones may be played by striking thekeys 14 in piano-like manner. When a key is struck down, the respectiveprojector or lever 13 propels a ball 15 toward the co-ordinated tonebar. The impact of the ball causes the tone bar to produce a particulartone. Then, the ball rolls back in the channel 11 and comes to restagain behind the projector.

I desire it understood that my invention is not confined to theparticular embodiment shown and described, the same being merelyillustrative, and that my invention may be carried out in other wayswithin the scope of the appended claims without departing from thespirit of my invention as it is obvious that the particular embodimentshown and described is only one of the many that may be employed toattain the objects of my invention.

Having described the nature of my invention, what I claim and desire toprotect by Letters Patent is:

1. In a musical toy, a series of differently tuned tone elements, aplurality of ball-shaped missiles made of solid material, eachco-ordinated to one of said elements, and a plurality of projectors,each being adapted for propelling one of said missiles toward theco-ordi- 3 nate'd element being operable independently of the otherprojectors and having a distance from said element several times aslarge as the extension of said missile in the direction of propulsionwhereby said propelled missile makes a move of considerable length fromsaid projector to said element.

2. A musical toy comprising a series of differently tuned tone elements,a housing supporting said elemerits and having a plurality of channels,each being directed toward one of said elements, a plurality of missilesmade of solid material, each rollably movable in one of said channelsand thereby co-ordinated to one of said elements, and a plurality ofprojectors, each being positioned near'the end of one of said channelswhich is far from the respective element, being adapted for propellingone of said missiles toward the co-ordinated element being operableindependently of the other projectors and having a distance from saidelement several times as large as the extension of said missile in thedirection of propulsion whereby said propelled missile makes a move ofconsiderable length from said projector to said element.

3. A musical toy comprising a series of differently tuned tone elements,a housing supporting said elements and having a plurality of channels,each being directed and obliquely rising toward one of said elements, aplurality of missiles made of solid material, each rollably movable inone of said channels and thereby co-ordinated to one of said elements,and a plurality of projectors, each being positioned near the end of oneof said channels which is far from the respective element, being adaptedfor propelling one of said missiles toward the co-ordinated elementbeing operable independently of the other projectors and having adistance from said element several times as large as the extension ofsaid missile in the direction of propulsion whereby said propelledmissile makes a move of considerable length from said projector to saidelement.

4. A musical toy comprising a series of differently tuned tone elements,a housing supporting said elements and having a plurality of channels,each being directed toward one of said elements, a plurality of rollablyshaped missiles made of solid material, each movable in one of saidchannels and thereby co-ordinated to one of said elements, and aplurality of projectors, each being positioned near the end of one ofsaid channels which is far from the respective element, being adaptedfor propelling one of said missiles toward the co-ordinated elementbeing operable independently of the other projectors and having adistance from said element several times as large as the extension ofsaid missile in the direction of propulsion whereby said propelledmissile makes a move of considerable length front said projector to saidelement.

5. A musical toy comprising a series of differently tuned tone elements,a housing supporting said elements and having a plurality of channels,each being directed toward one of said elements, a plurality of missilesmade of solid material, each rollably movable in one of said channelsand thereby co-ordinated to one of said elements, and a plurality ofprojectors, each being positioned near the end of one of said channelswhich is far from the respective element, being adapted for propellingone of said missiles toward the co-ordinated element having a key forindividual operation, and hav ing a distance from said element severaltimes as large as the extension of said missile in the direction ofpropulsion whereby said propelled missile makes a move of considerablelength from said projector to said element, said keys being arranged ina row like the keys of a piano key board.

6. A musical toy comprising a series of differently tuned tone elements,a' housing having an outer shape simulating a piano, said housingsupporting said elements and having a plurality of channels, each beingdirected toward one of said elements, a plurality of missiles made ofsolid materal, each rollably movable in one of said channels and therebyco-ordinated to one of said elements, and a plurality of projectors,each being positioned near the end of one of said channels which is farfrom the respective element, being adapted for propelling one of saidmissiles toward the co-ordinated element having a key for individualoperation, and having a distance from said element several times aslarge as the extension ofsaid missile in the direction of pro pulsionwhereby said propelled missile makes a move of considerable length fromsaid projector to said element, said keys being arranged in a row likethe keys of a piano key board.

7. A- musical toy comprising a housing, a series of difierently tunedtone elements forming bars hanging vertically in said housing, aplurality of ball-shapedmissiles made of solid material movable in saidhousing, each co-ordinated to one of said bars, and a plurality ofprojectors movably connected with said housing, each adapted: forpropelling one of said missiles towardthe eo-ordinated tone element andhaving a distance from said element several times as large as theextension of said missile in the direction of propulsion whereby saidpropelled missile makes a move of considerable length from saidprojector to said element.

8. A musical toy comprising a housing, a series of differently tunedtone elements forming bars hanging.

vertically in said housing, strips aflixed to said housing and extendingat small distances from and across said bars, a plurality of missilesmade of solid material rollably movable in said housing, eachcoordinated to one of said bars, and a plurality of projectors movablyconnected with said housing, each adapted for propelling one of saidmissiles toward the co-ordinated tone element and having a distance fromsaid element several times as large as the extension of said missile inthe direction of propulsion whereby said propelled missile makes a moveof considerable length from said projector to said element.

9. A musical toy comprisingia housing having a shape simulating a pianoand including a higher back portion and a lower front portion, a seriesof diflerently tuned tone elements forming bars hanging vertically insaid back portion of said housing, a plurality of missiles made of solidmaterial rollably movable in said housing, each co-ordinated to one ofsaid bars, and a plurality of projectors movably connected with saidfrontportion of said housing, each adapted for propelling one of saidmissiles toward the co-ordinated tone element and having a distance fromsaid element several times as large as the extension of said missile inthe direction of propulsion whereby said propelled missile makes a moveof considerable length from said projector to said element.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS632,029 Smith Aug. 29, 1899 1,152,254 Wood Aug. 31, 19 15 1 ,912,562Zy'nda June 6, 1-933 2;254,488 Miller Sept. 2, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS699,083 France Dec. 8,1930 416,790 Great Britain Sept. 21-, 1934

